Assembled last week for their first games, the JV volleyball girls (sophomores, juniors and several freshman) fell 3-0 to host Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial last Tuesday but, also in a road trip, beat Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman two days later.
The B squad (eighth graders and freshmen for these matches) lost 3-0 in Lake Crystal but also came back to win in Granada 3-0.
Both are coached by April Thompson.
The C squad lost its first game in Lake Crystal 29-27 but came back for a 25-18 win and then 15-12 in the rubber game. No results were available from Granada.
Trailing LCWM 24-23 in game one, the JV Clippers kept alive on an Ava Kluntz kill and a Kaitlyn Flowers ace serve, but the game ended 25-23 when the Clippers didn’t put together a return.
In game two, the Knights kept a point or two ahead for most of the game, but with the score deadlocked at 19, they took the next five points, including three winners, and after they hit the ball into the net, won 25-20 after the net swallowed a Clipper hit.
With a Cheyenne Lotspeich ace serve followed by a Sierra Lotspeich kill, the Clippers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game three. But the Knights took over after a 6-6 tie and won 15-11 when the Clippers hit the ball into the net.
Cheyenne Lotspeich made 10 set assists, two digs and three ace serves. Sierra Lotspeich swung for five kills, set up three points, lifted seven digs and served one ace. Ameila Chmiel hit two kills, scraped eight digs and served two aces. Anna Lamont hit two kills, served one ace and put up one ace block assist. Valentina Rohlfing scooped 15 digs. Liviana Lee had two kills and three digs and one ace block. Taylor Wolf had three digs. Clara Hilfer had one kill and three digs. Kluntz hit two kills and had one solo ace block and one ace block assist. Neenah Lassiter had two kills and one ace block assist. Natalie Flowers had three kills and one ace block assist. Mattea Grandaw had one kill. Kaitlyn Flowers set up five points.
In the B squad match (eighth graders and freshmen for this match), Paisley Janssen rattled off a pair of ace serves to start game one, and the Clippers kept out in front until the Knights, trailing 15-13, went on a seven-point run and never looked back, winning 25-17 when the Clippers watched a serve drop to the floor.
In game two, the Knights, strong on the attack, jumped out to a 5-1 lead enroute to a 25-16 triumph after back-to-back kills. The Clippers fell 15-11 in game three.
Janssen, Hilfer and Kaelyn Blaschko all had one ace serve. Kenzie Kortuem and Natalie Flowers each had three kills. Hilfer and Blaschko had two kills. Grandaw and Brooke Bosse each had one kill.
In Granada, the JV won decisively 25-7, 25-12. Sierra Lotspeich had two kills, seven digs and one ace serve. Kaitlyn Flowers passed for two assists and had one dig and five ace serves. Rohlfing had six digs and five ace serves. Chmiel had six digs and two ace serves. Cheyenne Lotspeich set up seven points and had one dig and four ace serves. Lamont had one kill, one dig and one ace serve. Kluntz had one kill and once ace serve. Wolf had three digs. Neenah Lassiter had one dig. Grandaw had one dig. Lee had one kill. Hilfer had one kill.
The B squad one even more decisively against the Jaguars: 25-7, 15-10. Hilfer had five kills, one ace block, five digs and two service aces. Natalie Flowers had one kill, one ace block, a pair of digs, one set assist and two ace serves. Kortuem had four kills, one ace block and one dig. Hadley Thompson set up nine points and had three kills, five digs and four service aces. Bosse had one kill. Jessilyn Milnes assisted five points and had one kill, one dig and one ace serve. Grandaw had one ace block, one dig and one set assist. Janssen had three digs. Blaschko had four digs. Emma Kortuem had three digs and one ace serve.
The C and B Clippers took on visiting Mayer Lutheran on Tuesday (see separate story).
Above: Liviana Lee watches her hit go over the net in the JV game at Lake Crystal.
Emma Kortuem bumps up the ball in the C game on the Lake Crystal court. Beside her is Hadley Thompson.
Amelia Chmiel poises for a dig during the JV game on the Lake Crystal court.
Libero Valentina Rohlfing props passes to the front of the court during the JV game against the Knights.
Anna Lamont stretches for a hit during the JV game against LCWM.
Clara Hilfer watches the trajectory of her hit during the B game at Lake Crystal.
Kenzie Kortuem and Natalie Flower stretch for a block during the B game against the Knights.
Mattea Grandaw stoops for a dig during the B game at Lake Crystal.
Natalie Flowers props up a Knight serve during the B game at Lake Crystal.
Kaelyn Blaschko guides the ball to the front of the Clipper court during the B game at Lake Crystal.